


Five Stops

by youjik33



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 07:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17699873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youjik33/pseuds/youjik33
Summary: With Calamity Ganon defeated, Link and Sidon embark on a journey to make sure Hyrule is truly safe for travel -- and Link takes the opportunity to show his companion some of the sights along the way.





	Five Stops

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whitedandelions](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitedandelions/gifts).



> The main reason this was posted so close to the deadline is because every time I tried to do canon review I got horribly distracted.
> 
> The good news is that I have now found nearly 600 korok seeds.

I

 

The surface of Lake Hylia gleamed like polished silver in the moonlight. From the center of the ancient stone bridge, Prince Sidon gazed out across its gently rippling surface. The lizalfos that had threatened these waters before the fall of Calamity Ganon had been sent packing; now, the only creatures stirring were a flock of sleepy ducks huddled near the shore. 

“It’s beautiful here,” he said, “but I don’t see this dragon of yours.”

“Patience,” Link said. He leaned against one of the low walls at the bridge’s edge, lapsing into silence again, and Sidon waited beside him, gaze drifting from the moonlit water to the way the light made a halo in Link’s hair. It was easy to lose track of time in that comfortable stillness, until suddenly a gust of wind made Sidon look up and gasp in surprise.

The dragon was bigger than he had imagined; he wasn’t sure where it could have been hiding before, not with the waters of Lake Hylia being so clear, and so well-explored by the Zora. But there it was, its massive, horned head emerging from the water, serpentine body coiling effortlessly into the sky. It seemed completely oblivious to the two men watching from the bridge. Its glowing yellow body skimmed over the surface of the water, the head dipping back underneath briefly before emerging again. The sheer length of it astounded Sidon, as did the way it seemed to move so easily through the air.

“Here it comes,” Link murmured, reaching down to pick up the golden helmet he’d kept ready at his side. The dragon had turned and was approaching the bridge, and Sidon felt a prickling against his skin as that strange wind enveloped them. Link turned to him, the Thunder Helm securely on his head, and gave him a little nod. Sidon scooped the Hylian up easily, with one arm, and Link settled onto his shoulder as the dragon approached. Sidon could clearly see the balls of electric energy floating around its body now, and though he trusted Link completely, he still felt his heart rate speed up as the dragon approached ever closer.

For a moment it almost seemed as if the beast would crash right into the bridge, but it shifted its mammoth body upward, gliding so close above their heads that Sidon could see each glittering scale and the deep glow of its eyes. The lightning around it crackled, and Sidon found himself putting a hand to Link’s thigh and giving it a squeeze as the energy balls floated toward them, only to dissipate harmlessly against the Thunder Helm’s magical dome of protection. 

They stood watching the dragon until it disappeared into the sky, even while some part of Sidon’s mind was distracted by the fact that, even though Link was small even for a Hylian, his thigh muscles were hard as iron under Sidon’s hand. 

 

II

 

“Now this is more like it,” Sidon sighed, sinking into the cool water. He was getting some curious looks from the Gerudo shopkeepers; he was probably the first Zora anyone at the Kara Kara Bazaar had ever seen. There was certainly a reason his people generally avoided the desert. Just a single afternoon under the merciless sun had made him feel as though he was going to shrivel up like the racks of seaweed the people of Lurelin dried on the beaches. 

But Sidon was the one who had offered to come with Link in the first place, to help secure Hyrule’s travel routes in the wake of Calamity Ganon’s defeat, so he did his best to keep his complaints to himself. 

“I’ll go to Gerudo Town tomorrow,” Link said, flopping onto a flat rock at the edge of the pool and dipping his bare feet in. “You can wait here.”

He did have to return the Thunder Helm, after all. Sidon cocked his head at Link curiously. “I know the Gerudo are quite strict about not allowing men into their city. I doubt they would make an exception even for a Zora prince. How is it you’re able to enter the palace?” 

Link coughed delicately into his hand, averting his eyes and flushing pink. Sidon looked at the lines of Link’s fine-featured profile, and the pieces fell into place. “I see,” he said with a grin. “Link, you continually amaze me. Not only are you a strong warrior, and utterly fearless, but you have a measure of cunning, as well.” 

The pink flush crept to the very tips of Link’s ears, and to spare him further discomfort, Sidon chuckled and flipped backwards into the water, splashing a couple of very confused Goron merchants.

 

III

 

The Thunder Helm wasn’t the first thing Link had returned. He and Zelda had taken the Master Sword back to the Lost Woods together. After all, Link explained to Sidon, there wasn’t much need for the Sword that Seals the Darkness in a world where darkness had already been sealed. 

The sword seemed quite safe where it was. Between the eerie mist and the strange twisted trees, and what Sidon swore were the sounds of giggling voices carried on the wind, he rather doubted many travelers would come this way. But the Korok Forest itself, lush and damp and full of lovely star-shaped flowers, was another story. Sidon hadn’t been sure why Link had wanted to bring him to see it at first, but it was truly a special place. Still, those nagging little voices didn’t quite seem to go away, even if Sidon couldn’t figure out where they were coming from.

“Oh,” Link said in surprise, “You can’t see them.” And then, “Hestu likes you.”

“Hestu?” Sidon said, looking around and seeing nothing but dappled greenery. 

Link chuckled. “He says he admires your height and your fashion sense. And not to be upset, because most people can’t see the forest spirits, anyway.”

The thought that there might be hundreds of invisible eyes on them was a little unsettling. The huge tree in the center of the clearing even almost looked like it did have a face, looking down on the sword’s pedestal. But there was something about the very air here; whether it was the sword or the trees or just being here with Link, it made Sidon feel warm and comfortable and like the world was full of light.

 

IV

 

“You built all this?” Sidon gushed. “That’s amazing!”

“Hudson did the actual building,” Link corrected. “But I did help, yes.”   
“A whole town,” Sidon said. “That’s amazing. You’re amazing.” He scooped Link into his arms, twirled him around, set him down again; this was something Link had gotten used to over the past few weeks, and he just shook his head with a modest smile.

It was probable that Link didn’t realize what an undertaking Tarrey Town really was. All of the races of Hyrule living peacefully together, as a single community – it was a beautiful thing. The houses were well-spaced and inviting, and the crystal clear waters of Lake Akkala below even moreso. 

“Your Highness!” a familiar voice gasped from somewhere behind them. “What brings you here?”

“Kapson!” Sidon said cheerfully. “So this is where you’ve got yourself off to!”

“I run the inn here,” the old Zora explained, with a small bow. “Unfortunately, Prince, I don’t think any of our beds will accommodate your height. Perhaps if I moved several together...”

“No worries, Kapson,” Sidon said. “Link and I have been roughing it on the road, and I don’t mind sleeping in a tent one more time. There have been few enough monsters about, it shouldn’t be long before we’re ready to head back to Zora’s Domain.” 

Obviously the journey was going to have to end sooner or later, but Sidon didn’t want to dwell on it. Instead he asked Kapson, “Is the water deep enough for diving here?”

“I’m a bit past the prime of my diving days,” Kapson chuckled. “But the sides of the bridge, just near the town entrance, are perfect. The only problem is that you have to either climb the cliff walls or swim all the way across the lake to get back.”

“I’ll race you,” Link said. “From here to… how about that group of luminous stone?” The stones in question were just barely starting to glow in the first blush of twilight. 

“You’re on,” Sidon said. “Kapson, do you mind giving us a starting signal?”

“Of course, Your Highness,” Kapson said as the two took their places. “On your marks, get set… go!”

Sidon made a perfect dive, barely leaving a ripple in the water. Above, he could see the shadow of Link’s paraglider. Link might have thought this gave him an advantage, but he was at the mercy of the wind, while Sidon was unparalleled in the water. It took him mere seconds to reach the shore, and when he leaped out onto the rocks in front of the goal, Link was still in the air yards behind.

“I hope you didn’t think I would let you win, just because you saved the world,” Sidon laughed.

“Of course not,” Link said, before letting go of the paraglider and falling unexpectedly into Sidon’s arms. Caught off guard, Sidon lost his balance, falling onto his back with Link’s slight weight on top of him. 

“That’s fighting dirty,” Sidon said, laughing breathlessly. 

“Hey,” Link said, suddenly looking serious. “Do you mind if I bring you one more place before we head home?”

“Of course not,” Sidon said. “What did you have in mind?”

 

V

 

Sidon had been to Lurelin Village many times, but never up the winding hill pass to the little pool hidden there. 

“They call it Lover’s Pond,” Link said. “Do the Zora not have stories of it?”

“Not that I know of,” Sidon said. “Truly, Link, you’ve brought me to the most beautiful places.” Up here in the hills, with only the flowers and the butterflies flitting across them for company, it almost seemed as though they were the only two people in the world. Sidon slid happily into the water; it was cool, and surprisingly deep, considering the pond’s size. Link quickly stripped down to his skivvies before joining him.

“Among the Gerudo and the Hylians, there are stories that if you come here, you can meet your soulmate. The person you’re destined to spend your life with.”

“Indeed?” Sidon floated on his back, staring up into the vast blue sky, not trusting himself to look at his companion. “And have you been hoping to meet a soulmate of your own here?”

“I think I already have.”

Sidon straightened in surprise, treading water and wondering if he was hearing what he thought he was hearing. Link was staring back, his blue eyes clear and blue as the sky above. 

“I’m not mistaken, am I?” Link said, a hint of shyness in his voice.

“N-no,” Sidon managed. “That is, I-- no. To be honest, I’m so happy I don’t even know what to say.”

Link grinned, moving closer, and Sidon pulled him into his arms. He lay on his back, and Link lay across his chest, a warm, solid weight. “There… there are complications,” Sidon said, because he felt he had to. “Some of the Zora elders will be less than thrilled. And Princess Zelda...”

“Princess Zelda will be delighted, don’t worry,” Link said. Then he surprised Sidon again by pressing a kiss, soft and sweet, to the side of Sidon’s jaw. 

“I suppose,” Sidon said, “That whatever happens, we can handle it together.”

“Together,” Link said, and kissed him again.


End file.
